CARSCOOP |  |
- Car Crashes and Floats Down a River, Driver and Passengers Don't Give Two Hoots About It!
- Local Motors Rally Fighter up for Auction from $100,000
- Watch Red Bull’s F1 Car Do Some Donuts on Top of the Burj Al Arab Hotel
- Check Out Another Cool Car from Slovakia – It’s Called Aeromobil and It Literally Flies!
- This Mustang Shelby Shooting Brake is Coming as a One-Off; Have Salt Grains Close at Hand…
- Consumer Reports' First Impressions of the 2014 Nissan Rogue Are Really Positive
- Scoop: Is This The 2014 Nissan Patrol Facelift?
- Kia Turns the Soul into a YouTube Player on Wheels
| Car Crashes and Floats Down a River, Driver and Passengers Don't Give Two Hoots About It! Posted: 02 Nov 2013 04:00 PM PDT  Driving a car on land, floating it down a river; what's the difference when you're completely wasted? Just as long as you can breathe fresh air and enjoy the buzz, it's the same thing… We had to watch this unbelievable incident twice to make sure what we we're looking at is real. What's more surreal, is the purported conversation between the group of men in the vehicle, which according to Carscoops tipster Robert, went something along the lines of this: "Oh, we float! Where do we go? I don't know, may be to the shore. Don't steer the wheel, it's useless!" – you don't say Sherlock… The location of the incident is not mentioned, but if it's not mother Russia, it could be one of the surrounding countries – if you know, do share in the comments. Shout out to Robert M. for the tip!        |
| Local Motors Rally Fighter up for Auction from $100,000 Posted: 02 Nov 2013 02:30 PM PDT  If you think it's time you owned a Dakar rally-style machine, it's probably a good idea to check out this this 2012 Local Motors Rally Fighter that goes under the hammer today (November 2, 2013) at the RKM Collector Car Auctions' event in Charlotte, North Carolina. Powered by a 430hp GM LS3 E-Rod 376-cubic-inch (6.2-liter) V8 engine and featuring an enormous suspension travel, this monster will say yes to any kind of terrain you throw at it. The engine is mated to a T400 automatic transmission and it complies with emissions regulations in all 50 states. It features a manually adjustable dual ride height and a tough suspension with King coilover shocks with piggyback reservoirs, plus billet upper and lower front control arms. At the rear, the off-road monster features a reverse triangulated four link rear suspension. All these combine to give the Fighter a gigantic 20 inches (5,080mm) of suspension travel! To put this information into context, it's worth noting that the overall height of the Rally Fighter is 70 inches (1,778mm). The coupe-style off-roader rides on 33-inch (838mm) Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires designed to tackle any kind of terrain. The Fighter features a vinyl wrapped exterior that saves 12 pounds (5.4 kg) over a conventional paint job. The interior features black bucket seats, air conditioning, and a GPS built into the dash. This particular car was built for NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham, who has now decided to part ways with it. He didn't drive it too much, judging from the odometer that reads only 470 miles (756 km). That's probably why RKMCCA estimates the Rally Fighter will sell for anywhere between $100,000(€74,060) and $125,000 (€92,570). By Dan Mihalascu                      |
| Watch Red Bull’s F1 Car Do Some Donuts on Top of the Burj Al Arab Hotel Posted: 02 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PDT  You're probably aware by now that the FIA doesn't want championship-winning drivers to show their emotion and thrill spectators. Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel found that out last weekend, when they were slapped with an absurd fine. Red Bull's marketing machine didn't let than event slip unnoticed and decided to show its disapproval by staging a memorable event. The energy-drink giant took one of its Formula 1 cars and driver David Coulthard to Dubai in order to celebrate winning the 2013 Formula One Drivers' and Constructors' championships. The car was lifted on Burj Al Arab's helipad, located on the top of the seven star hotel at 210 meters (689 ft) above the sea. David Coulthard's job was a typical Red Bull adventure: to do some donuts with the 750hp F1 car on the 24-meter wide helipad. You can check out the amazing footage after the break. By Dan Mihalascu    |
| Check Out Another Cool Car from Slovakia – It’s Called Aeromobil and It Literally Flies! Posted: 02 Nov 2013 11:37 AM PDT  The problem of creating a vehicle that is neither car nor airplane has seen many approaches, some of which date back to the early 1950s, when there were a lot of unused airplane components lying idle, and many engineers with ideas of how to use them. There have been many successful vehicles that did both well, but none sold in large numbers, because they usually had some sort of drawback that made them very impractical to use. Now, from the land of the Praga R1, Slovakia, we bring you the "Aeromobil," which promises to be one of the most practical car/plane combos we've seen. The work of designer Stefan Klein, it has been in development for twenty years, and the current fully-functioning version is 2.5, though we did see a few sketches for 3.0 on his official site. It works on much the same principle as other similar vehicles, but it has been built with real-world feasibility in mind, so it does just that. As you'll see in the presentation video posted below, you can drive it out of your regular parking spot, with its wings folded, speed to the airport via the motorway, then find the nearest runway, extend the wings to their full 8.2 meter (27 ft) span, then drop the flaps for extra takeoff lift and you're ready to go. Its weight is kept under 500 kg (~1,000 lbs) empty, but do factor in the added mass of two adults plus fuel to get an accurate idea of what it weighs ready to go. The Rotax aeroengine that powers it puts out 100 hp, and it drives either the front wheels or the rear-mounted propeller – this can be easily changed via pressing a button inside. By Andrei Nedelea                 |
| This Mustang Shelby Shooting Brake is Coming as a One-Off; Have Salt Grains Close at Hand… Posted: 02 Nov 2013 10:15 AM PDT  Working on the internet has taught us not to believe anything we find even mildly unbelievable, without being presented with some kind of satisfactory proof that can attest it. That's why when we look at the amateurish render you see posted here, we are not won over by feelings of certainty as to its translation into reality as a one-off model. Yes, that's right, this Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 shooting brake model is apparently going to become a real car made by Strand Craft, a company whose site is full of renderings, plans and dead links. We were skeptical, so we asked for official confirmation, and we got it in email form. Company president, Kurt Strand, told Carscoops that it is "a 2014 GT 500 Super Snake Shooting Brake… wide body kit, station wagon style," and it is indeed being made "in collaboration with a show car builder in LA," without providing any names. We're looking forward to receiving some photos of it when completed, because the idea is frankly not bad at all. Let's just hope the metal interpretation is more successful than the…MS Paint…renderings... By Andrei Nedelea      |
| Consumer Reports' First Impressions of the 2014 Nissan Rogue Are Really Positive Posted: 02 Nov 2013 09:18 AM PDT  Consumer Reports got hold of the all-new 2014 Nissan Rogue (called the X-Trail in Europe and other markets) and shared its first impressions of the SUV in a new video. As Nissan's second best-selling nameplate, the Rogue has a reputation to uphold and the all-new model must do exactly that. Design-wise, the new model is undoubtedly a step forward, but things look good inside as well. Consumer Reports' Tom Mutchler appreciated the improved interior, which on the range-topping SL model features leather upholstery. The new car has practical advantages as well, such as the improvement in rear visibility and the rear camera offered as standard. The 2014 Rogue also brings an optional third row of seats and is the only compact SUV to offer one besides the Mitsubishi Outlander - which in Consumer Reports' view doesn't count as a serious competitor. However, the third row of seats is not available on the range-topping SL model, as Nissan worries it could get into Pathfinder territory. I don't know about you, but I find it rather strange to limit the sales potential of a model just because it might steal customers from a larger, more expensive vehicle. Check out the publication's first impressions of the all-new Rogue in the video posted below. By Dan Mihalascu    |
| Scoop: Is This The 2014 Nissan Patrol Facelift? Posted: 02 Nov 2013 07:41 AM PDT  As the sixth generation of the Nissan Patrol (related to the recently renamed Infiniti QX80 which was previously known as the QX) approaches its fourth year in the market, it's only to reasonable to expect that the Japanese company prepares some updates to keep consumer interest high in its flagship SUV. A member of the Nissan Arabia forums scooped these photos of what appears to be next year's updated version of the Patrol loaded on a transport truck in Dubai. We only see the parts of the profile and rear end of the large SUV, in which we detected newly designed tail lamps, alloy wheels and possibly side trims. If this is indeed the lightly revised Patrol, we wouldn't be surprised if Nissan unveils the car at next week's Dubai Motor Show (November 5 to 9). We tip our hats to Saif for the heads up!      |
| Kia Turns the Soul into a YouTube Player on Wheels Posted: 02 Nov 2013 06:58 AM PDT  To mark its involvement as official sponsor of the inaugural YouTube Music Awards (#YTMA) global event, Kia Motors has transformed a 2014 Soul into a mobile video recording booth and multi-screen YouTube player. The car was designed and customized by Lux Motorwerks under the direction of Harris Publications and RIDES Magazine and features a "YouTube" paint scheme combining matte white and red, including red accents and logos of the popular video sharing website. Key customization elements include a wireless keyboard embedded in the rear center armrest, a webcam for high-definition video recording, 10 WiFi-enabled iPad Minis in the rear cargo area and a Mac Mini with high-speed WiFi Hot Spot for instant uploads and streaming. The funky Kia also features big alloy wheels painted red shod with sport tyres with a very thin profile. The inaugural YouTube Music Awards (#YTMA) is a global event culminating in a live show on New York City's Pier 36 on Sunday, November 3, where people worldwide will have access to concerts staged around the world. The show will be broadcast live on the website starting from 6 pm Eastern Time. By Dan Mihalascu     |
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